title: Laparoscopic skill laboratory in urological surgery: tools and methods for resident training.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Laparoscopy has certainly brought considerable benefits to patients, but laparoscopic surgery requires a set of skills different from open surgery, and learning in the operating room may increase surgical time, and even may be harmful to patients. Several training programs have been developed to decrease these potential prejudices.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to describe the laparoscopic training program for urological residents of the "Hospital das Clinicas" of the Sao Paulo Medical School, to report urological procedures that are feasible in dry and wet labs, and to perform a critical analysis of the cost-benefit relation of advanced laparoscopic skills laboratory.
  
  
  METHODS
  The laparoscopic skill lab has two virtual simulators, three manual simulators, and four laparoscopic sets for study with a porcine model. The urology residents during their first year attend classes in the virtual and manual simulator and helps the senior urological resident in activities carried out with the laparoscopic sets. During the second year, the urological resident has six periods per week, each period lasting four hours, to perform laparoscopic procedures with a porcine model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In a training program of ten weeks, one urological resident performs an average of 120 urological procedures. The most common procedures are total nephrectomy (30%), bladder suture (30%), partial nephrectomy (10%), pyeloplasty (10%), ureteral replacement or transuretero anastomosis (10%), and others like adrenalectomy, prostatectomy, and retroperitoneoscopy. These procedures are much quicker and caused less morbidity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Laparoscopic skills laboratory is a good method for achieving technical ability.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, University of Sao Paulo Medical School, SP, Brazil. fabio_torri@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Fabio C M
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Torricelli
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guglielmetti
authors.forename: Ricardo J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Srougi
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002983:Clinical Competence; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000193:education*; D013337:Students, Medical; D013663:Teaching; D013997:Time Factors; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D014572:Urology / Q000193:education*; D014584:User-Computer Interface